PICO (Performance Indeterminate Cage Opera) LIVE

New Music Bay Area and video artist John Sanborn presented a live interactive performance event celebrating the centennial of composer John Cage called PICO (Performance Indeterminate Cage Opera) on September 14th, 2012 at the Berkeley Art Museum. PICO is inspired by Cage’s approach to composition and uses “Fontana Mix“ as an organizing structure for a live mix of 6 channels of prepared video, recorded sound, live musical performance, live dance, and audience participation. This is an edit of the live performance - footage from 8 professional cameras and dozens of audience members. The work originated from a desire to put in perspective the profound changes to our understanding and creation of art brought about by Cage, conceptualist Marcel Duchamp and video artist Nam June Paik: three seminal artists who were friends, colleagues, and collaborators. The heart of the work will be expressions of the ways and meanings of change. John Cage -- on the nature and interpretation of sound, composition and the meaning of music. Marcel Duchamp -- on the reframing of everyday objects and gestures into art and the participation of the audience in finishing the experience. Nam June Paik -- on the transformation of personal cultural perspectives into media art. Originator & Orchestrator: John Sanborn Performing collaborators Dancers: Joseph Copley, Margaret Cromwell, Carlos Venturo, Alyah Baker, Kelly Del Resario, Katherine Wells, plus 18 “extra“ dancers from the ballet, modern, drag, performance art, and theater communities. musician/composer: Wobbly sound artists: Negativland pianist: Sarah Cahill cellist/composer: Theresa Wong performer/composer: Luciano Chessa architect/designer: Megan Kelly-Sweeney designer: Leah Hefner Skip Sweeney and Roger Jones from Video Free America.